In an attempt to produce a new class of polyimide resins which would terminate with acetylenic groups, a search of the prior art processes for making desired acetylenic intermediates disclosed only a process for making p-aminophenylacetylene. This prior art process started with 4-nitrostyrene which in turn was reacted with bromine. The bromine reacted across the unsaturated bridge to form the .alpha.,.beta.-dibromo ethyl group. When this compound was reacted with sodium hydroxide, the .alpha.,.beta.-dibromo ethyl radical was converted to an acetylenic group. The nitro group was then reduced with stannous chloride in the presence of hydrochloric acid, thus forming 4-aminophenylacetylene. However, in our attempts to produce 3-aminophenylacetylene from 3-nitrostyrene by means of the same process, the desired compound was not identifiable in the reaction mixture.